the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us, we went  on an outing to 
 the  glass factory that  bore our family 
 name.  it had changed owners many  times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned   for  a   long  while. 
 finally, the  natural  end  station  for 
 the  buildings that  survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's  a  long  time  since  my family 
 made anything.  by  many,  we  would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are  two main factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several  floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but  narrow windows, 
 reminescent    of     some    cathedral. 
 custom-made glass, of course,  large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to  be 
 practical.  on  the   eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is publicly open.  there's 
 a museum,  with wax figures of  my great 
 great  great grandfather,  or something. 
 various tools (or replicas) laid  out on 
 tables, with explaining texts. a lot  of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly  sneak out, and climb into the 
 other   building.   the    contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict   for  a  long  time,   windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all  over   the  floor.  no 
 electric lights,  but i  can see by  the 
 light that shines  in wherever the  dark 
 windows    are    missing     a    pane. 
                                          
 however, the greatest difference is  the 
 higher floors: this  building has  none. 
 it is one massive hall,  stretching away 
 infinitely  above me. somewhere up there 
 is  some great  iron  latticework,  from 
 where chains are  suspended,  and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there  is, in  the  middle of the  great 
 hall,  a  thin  spiral  staircase   that 
 leads up there. i sneak  over there, and 
 take  a  few reluctant steps. after just 
 a  revolution, i  notice  that for  each 
 step  the building starts  to  glow, the 
 bricks turning  a  dark  red,  and  then 
 orange, all  the  piled up debree  being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop ready  to run  down and  out, but 
 there's someone  else  on  the staircase 
 with   me  now,   pressed  close.   he's 
 looking  like  me, short hair  and  thin 
 arms, but with  ears from  some  animal, 
 and more  disturbingly, completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear holds  me  in  place  while  he 
 starts  operating levers  and dials  set 
 in  the center of the staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning,  circling upwards. 
 it's   an  elevator!  i  start  to   run 
 downwards,   but  now   the  liquid  boy 
 creature  grabs  hold  of me.  i  try to 
 shake him off, but he's  too strong, and 
 pulls   me   back   up    beside    him. 
                                          
 this  time, i  turn  angry instead. what 
 the hell?  who is this  guy, acting like 
 this? i reach  out  my free arm and slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal   bar  is 
 suddenly  released  between us,  hitting 
 him  on the arm, forcing  my  release. i 
 shove him off  of me,  and he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,  a  thin  rusty   chainmail 
 curtain is  dropped  around me. but  the 
 elevator  also speeds  up significantly. 
                                          
 the   walls  are  flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue.  i close my eyes and 
 curl  into a ball. but then,  the  glass 
 boy   screams,  a  piercing  sound  that 
 forces my  eyes back open. i watch as he 
 becomes  too liquid,  his  body  pooling 
 down in  his now  massive tail, and  the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks of in a  glass 
 drop  that  falls   toward  the  factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's  crawling on  the stairs, unable to 
 keep his body  upright.  can't reach the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while his  body  is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls.  finally,  he's lost too much of 
 himself and  the  scream is  cut  short. 
 the    last   of    him   rains    down. 
                                          
 i  still  can't  reach the  levers  from 
 within  my  cage.  looking up,  i try to 
 make  out the  ceiling, but  it's  all a 
 whirling sea of colours. below  me glows 
 the hellfire of the factory  walls,  but 
 very  faint. i  sit down,  curl back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a  large  clunk shakes  my  entire body, 
 and  snaps  me  back into  reality.  i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs   are   still  moving   slightly, 
 clicking  in place, carrying me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly   dismount  the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking  and crying, i make my way  over 
 the  factory floor,  wading through dark 
 glass  marbles. a quick glance down, and 
 i  see  there's  something faint  inside 
 them.   embryos?   are    these    eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.